The Personalities of Deathlords

[Cryoseraph]

So I hope to have the machinations of several deathlords vexing my PCs soon enough. As the Threshold and East have many of the dastardly villains, I need to figure out the best way to help PCs tell the difference between them, especially when it is their plots they contact more than the deathlords themselves. Any advice on how to make the Walker in Darkness's jealousy and hatred of the Mask of Winters visible, or how to make the invite of the Lover Raiment of Tears a very different sort than that of Eye and Seven Despairs?

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Well, the Walker is more suspicious and into brokering treaties of alliance with his neighbours considering that the curse on his Shadowland and all. Anything he feels toward the Mask is recent, since the Mask's Solar predecessor killed his predecessor with the Sword of.....the Sword of, uhh, Something, can't remember.


The Mask is more about ostentatious displays of power to cover over his surprisingly tenuous hold in creation. He is more likely to hold a grudge against the Walker, rather than the other way around, so he might be working against the Walker's deal-making.


An invitation to attend the Lover's citadel might be delivered by a sumptuously gorgeous ghost courtesan who 'persuades' your character into going.


An invitation from Eye and Seven Despairs will be held in the mouth of a halibut, among the many, many still-living fish nailed to the walls of your bedroom while you slept.


The Dowager is sort of a psycho-mom. She lavishes attention upon children and treats adults with hatred and distain.


Captain Hesperus

 

[magnificentmomo]

What is the correlation between Eye and 7 and fish?

 

[uteck]

What is the correlation between Eye and 7 and fish?

He's insane, but in the stupid way not the scary way like the rest of the deathlords.

 

[magnificentmomo]

Yeah, he has gotten the fish-malkan treatment by a couple authors, but I always loved him as the true mad genius of the Deathlords. He made a freakin' zombie plague for crying out loud, and then lost it! Possibly one of the most classic applications.

 

[Cryoseraph]

So, after a bit of thought, I think I may throw in just a small dash of the 'Acts of Villainy' from the Infernals onto the Abyssal servants of the deathlords, with each kind of act being normally linked to one of the Deathlords. A servant of the Mask of Winters probably monologues heavily, as he shares the overconfidence of his Liege, while those serving the Walker of Darkness might wheel and deal to a fault, like a used car salesman, or maybe trashtalk, especially against a MoW servant.


Eye & 7, and those he lets out of Cold House, are probably all suffering from 'absent minded' issues, just leaving terrible world killing devices or plans just lying around, ruining towns to run a test but then forgetting to clean up the zombie subjects they were testing. The Lover's servants likely seduce so as to come closer to her, and anyone the Dowager lets out is either a child or probably gathers children around themselves. A fun alternative may be corrupted Lunars or a Beastman Abyssal working for the Dowager, as she loves being monstrous.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

So, after a bit of thought, I think I may throw in just a small dash of the 'Acts of Villainy' from the Infernals onto the Abyssal servants of the deathlords, with each kind of act being normally linked to one of the Deathlords. A servant of the Mask of Winters probably monologues heavily, as he shares the overconfidence of his Liege, while those serving the Walker of Darkness might wheel and deal to a fault, like a used car salesman, or maybe trashtalk, especially against a MoW servant.
Eye & 7, and those he lets out of Cold House, are probably all suffering from 'absent minded' issues, just leaving terrible world killing devices or plans just lying around, ruining towns to run a test but then forgetting to clean up the zombie subjects they were testing. The Lover's servants likely seduce so as to come closer to her, and anyone the Dowager lets out is either a child or probably gathers children around themselves. A fun alternative may be corrupted Lunars or a Beastman Abyssal working for the Dowager, as she loves being monstrous.

Doesn't the Dowager just use the Shoat of the Mire exclusively? I know she has other Exaltations, but she keeps them bottled up and just lets the Shoat Exalt. Mind you, a 'Pied Piper' Abyssal might be a terrifying concept to have. going into towns and leading all the children away using an artifact flute that applies a UMI to children....


Captain Hesperus

 

[Cryoseraph]

Doesn't the Dowager just use the Shoat of the Mire exclusively? I know she has other Exaltations, but she keeps them bottled up and just lets the Shoat Exalt. Mind you, a 'Pied Piper' Abyssal might be a terrifying concept to have. going into towns and leading all the children away using an artifact flute that applies a UMI to children....


Captain Hesperus

Shoat of the Mire is her only listed one, but the Storyteller section suggests playing a circle serving her, all children, so extras are possible. I always extrapolate a few extra plot hooks, like how would any normal group even hear about the Dowager without bumping into someone who works for her? If I wanted to use her, then she would have to have made SOMEbody extra, probably only with the push of her Neverborn master. And I could see her need new breeding stock now and again for her children obsession, so . . .


Additionally, she loves making patchwork undead, so tearing apart Beastmen and/or using some as slaves in some fashion seems easy enough to extrapolate from her description as well.

 

[Bloody Teeth]

Gotta admit I'm thinking of Eye and 7 as Prof. Farnsworth now. While I like the suggestions so far I feel they're lacking something. Like the Lover's messenger should have gouged out eyes after seeing someone so tempting yet unable to attain they blinded themselves in despair.


Walker's would act lordly to impress the players and perhaps have a demonstration to show the dangers of refusing. Although that may make the Mask more appealing especially if that was the Walker's servant.


Also you can always invent your own deathlord and have them act however. My Master of the Obsidian Soul seemed like a great guy when he wasn't ripping out people's souls to make death machines.

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

Eye and Seven Despairs will offer power more than anything, and be slightly arrogant about what he can do if you betray him. Maybe even reveal a few secrets if it'll win them over. He's cocky as hell. Lover will intentionally seem weak though, make her target feel like if they needed to, they could double cross her. Of course, she'll have plans in case they do, and fully expects it, but, that's when she sinks her teeth in.


Walker in Darkness will be overt on his assaults against Masky, but not vice versa. Mask of Winters will wage a shadow war, crippling Walker's resources, turning his allies, one by one, and gloating over him when the trap finally snaps shut.